ROAD CYCLING PRESS

Mbombela – With typically hot Lowveld conditions greeting riders on the second day of the 2015 Pennypinchers South African Road, Time Trial and Para-cycling Championships the para-cycling programme came to an end with the various road races and it was the veterans who took to the time trail course on Wednesday afternoon.

Day two of the 2015 Pennypinchers South African Road, Time Trial and Para-cycling Championships started with the para-cycling road races and it was Pieter du Preez who managed to claim the national title in the men's H1,H2 Hand cycling race. Photo: craigdutton.com

The morning’s programme was jam packed with para-cycling events as the tandem races took to the road early and it was Alwyn de Kock and Heinrich Wagner claiming the spoils and the national title in their race.

Current World Champion in the H1 hand cycling categories Pieter du Preez was feeling a little bit under the weather going into his race but he was able to get out on the course and even at eight o’clock in the morning it was hot out on the course.

“I was a little worried when I came into the event and had quite a fever last night but I was pretty chuffed to get the win,” Du Preez says. “I did struggle a bit in the beginning of the race but I managed to get into a bit of a rhythm even when it got pretty hot out on the course!”

The course for the road race was something that he mentioned was going to be a struggle because of the heat but with some clouds to provide some respite he felt that the conditions were not as tough as they could have been.

“It was a bit overcast but the road temperature was close to 50 degrees and with us being so close to the ground it was quite hot on the ground but without any wind it meant that the conditions were favourable for me.”

The afternoon session saw the veteran age groups head out onto the time trial course in what can be described as sticky conditions but the racing was exciting even though the field of riders was relatively small.

Regular veteran rider Paul Furbank produced another stand-out performance in the Veteran Men's 60-64 Time Trial to claim the national title on day two of the 2015 Pennypinchers South African Road, Time Trial and Para-cycling Championships. Photo: craigdutton.com

Paul Furbank returned to the national championships and managed to hold off the rest of the field in the men’s 60-64 age category to claim the national champion’s jersey despite battling through the final lap of his race.

“It started off really well for me and I was going all-out from the get go but then it got quite tough towards the end but I always seem to go out hard so it wasn’t the first and it certainly won’t be the last time I ride like that!

“I was always going to try and take it a little bit easier on the downhills but they didn’t seem to be as long as I would have liked so I couldn’t get too much recovery time!” he mentions with a chuckle.

Having started the race hard he was confident that he would be in a good position if he could maintain his speed but the course proved to be a little bit more difficult than he had initially expected.

“The course was pretty technical which was a little deceptive and I thought that I would be fine but I seemed to miscue it a little which made me pretty tired towards the end!

“It is always great being able to win the national championships and I really did enjoy the course because of the technical aspect and I am sure that the road race course will be just as entertaining when I return on Saturday to take part in that,” a satisfied Furbank adds.

Cycling fans can follow the results as the racing unfolds with live timing here. Spectators on the course can also follow the live timing on their mobile devices, using the Mobi results link here. If you cannot get to the event in Mbombela, watch the racing live on streamit360.tv from 6-8 February.

Cycling South Africa

Cycling South Africa is the governing body of cycling in South Africa and is a member of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). It is affiliated to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as well as the Department of Sport & Recreation. Cycling South Africa regulates the five major disciplines within the sport, both amateur and professional, which include: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking, BMX Biking, Track Cycling and Para-Cycling. Cycling South Africa’s “2020 Vision” strategy, to cater for both the elite cyclist as well as the everyday two- and three-wheel lovers, contributes to the organisation being a dynamic, successful and highly respected governing body of cycling, at both National and International level. Cycling South Africa is committed to transformation and development of the sport and making it accessible to all via its development programmes.